Breaking Away
by TheEmberGirl
Summary: When Toph and Katara are captured after the fall of Ba Sing Se, and imprisoned by Azula. Can they trust their cellmate and work together to escape Azula's clutches or will they all turn against each other. Book three will not go according to cannon. Eventual Toko. Rated T for darker themes.
1. Captured

**Hi there everyone. I've seen a lot of prison break stories in the Avatar Archive, so I've decide to write my own, but different. I hope you enjoy it. This takes place straight after the season two finale. So basically a lot of the events in season three will not happen.**

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**Captured**

Appa landed in a clearing of a forest not far from Ba Sing Se.

'We'll camp here,' Katara said. She carefully cradled Aang's limp form and slid onto the ground. 'It's almost morning, and I need to try and further heal Aang. One of us should stay awake and keep watch until the rest of us wake up.'

'Hey Sugar Queen, seeing that everyone thinks Aang is dead, I don't think anyone will be following us.' said Toph. 'Besides if anyone comes near here I'll feel it.'

'She's right,' Sokka said. 'I don't know about you but I'm dead tired.' He slumped onto the ground and immediately started snoring. Katara glanced at her brother before turning back to Aang and waterbending the water from her pouch onto Aang's back. As water glowed healing blue, Toph bent herself an earth tent and retreated inside it. A moment later she poked her head out again and in an uncharacteristically soft tone:

'Hey Katara,'

'Yeah?'

'Nothing, you should rest soon, I'll wake you up if anything happens.'

'Thank you.'

Toph grunted and slid back into her tent. Katara continued the healing session until she was slightly satisfied and was to tied to do anymore, she then laid Aang gently on the ground and leaned against a tree, falling asleep instantly.

She was rudely awakened from a dream in which Aang was awake and perfectly healthy by Toph.

'Oi, Sugar Queen, wake up!' the earthbender shouted. 'Get Snoozles over there up as well.' She added pointing in the general direction of Sokka.

'What's going on?' asked Katara, rushing to shake Sokka awake.

'A lot of people, firebending soldiers judging by the sound of their footsteps are heading straight towards us.'

'This is not good.' Sokka groaned.

'We can't run away quickly enough, Appa is too tired to fly, Aang is in a coma, Sokka can't fight all the firebenders and Toph and I are too tired to bend much.

'Then what can we do Sweetness?'

Katara's eyes hardened with determination.

'We can't let them get Aang, I have a plan, but we have to split up.' She stopped and sighed, the continued: 'Toph and I will distract the soldiers with our bending. Then lead them away from you Aang and Appa, look after Aang if we don't come back Sokka.'

'No!' exclaimed Sokka. 'That's too dangerous, Katara. You're my sister, I promised Dad I'd look after you!'

'Sokka, it's the only way we'll all make it. You can't protect me if the world is destroyed. Take Aang to Dad at Chameleon Bay. We'll join you as soon as can, and if we can't, at least you'll be safe.' A tear rolled from Katara's eye as she finished.

Sokka began to protest, but Toph interjected:

'Look, I hate to agree with her, but Sugar Queen is right. Besides we'll waste time if we keep arguing, the soldiers are only minutes away.'

Sokka reluctantly agreed and Toph lead Katara in the direction of the approaching soldiers. At that moment Momo flew down from a branch and landed on Katara's shoulder.

'Sorry Momo, but you can't come with us,' said Katara. 'Stay with Aang and Sokka.' Momo chittered then flew onto the sleeping Appa's head.

'Goodbye Sokka.' Katara whispered as she and Toph walked into the forest. They kept walking until Toph pulled her to a halt. Katara caught sight of red uniforms and quickly ducked behind a tree.

'This scouting is really boring, we never catch anyone.' One of the soldiers complained.

'Shut up and keep walking!' The Captain yelled. The offending soldier grumbled but kept silent. Katara nudged Toph, they had to stop these soldiers before they walked right into Aang. Toph got the signal and sent a volley of rocks into the midst of the soldiers. Katara wasted no time and used the water in her pouch as a whip, before running in the opposite direction of the clearing.

'Capture them!' the Captain yelled and the whole squadron rushed after them. The two girls ran until their legs hurt then stopped to face them; they sent everything they could at the men but where soon overwhelmed.

'Bind their hands,' ordered the Captain. 'And take the pouch away from the waterbender.' Two soldiers stepped up to obey his commands and Toph and Katara were too tired to struggle.

'Sir, these are the Avatar's companions,' soldier binding Toph. 'I recognise them from the wanted posters.'

'Very well then,' the captain said, stroking his moustache. 'Head with greatest speed back to Ba Sing Se, Princess Azula will be pleased,' then muttering to himself 'I might even get a promotion.'

After half an hour of walking, Katara and Toph were brought to the gates of Ba Sing Se.

'Prisoners for the Princess.' The Captain announced to the sentries. One of the sentries went inside and returned a minute later.

'The Princess will see you in the lower dungeons.' The sentry announced. The Captain nodded curtly and motioned to the soldiers holding the ropes binding the prisoners to lead them into the dungeons. They were lead into the darkest, dankest parts of the dungeons where Azula stood, waiting. The brightest light in the corridor was the flame that Azula held in her palm.

'Well,' she sneered. 'If it isn't the water peasant and the little earthbender. So tell me, where is the Avatar and the other peasant?'

Katara somehow found the strength to lie.

'They're dead!' she shouted. 'I hate you, it's all because of you that Aang and me brother are dead.' She broke down sobbing uncontrollably from fatigue.

'Well then, you're not much use much use to me then,' Azula said scornfully, holding the flame threateningly close to Katara's face. 'But then again, it's good to have new toys.' She pulled the flame away and turned to the guards.

'Put them in that cell,' she commanded, pointing to the furthest cell on the right. 'Yes that one.' She snapped when the guards hesitated.

'One more thing, you, little earthbender, I heard that you learnt to bend metal, but don't even think about escape. You see the old cells here are conveniently made out of wood.' Azula laughed snidely, before turning back to the guards.

'Take them to their new cell, hopefully they'll all kill each other and it'll all be out of my hair.' With that the princess turned away and walk towards the exit, leaving Katara wondering who was that bad they'd want to kill them. They're probably a lunatic, she thought grimly and shuddered, someone who'll attack anything near them.

Toph and Katara where shoved into the cell just as the other prisoner looked up. Furious ice blue eyes glared into gold eyes filled with guilt.

'You,' gasped Katara. 'What are you doing here?'

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**So, I guess you've all figured out who their cellmate is. You will find out in the next chapter how he got there. Until then goodbye.**

**~Nightworlder-HunterofArtemis**

**I'm thinking of changing my pen name to TheEmberGirl, what do you guys think?**

**Please review, first to review gets sneak peek of next chapeter :)**


	2. Zuko

**Wow, I think this is the fastest I've ever updated. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. The last chapter was more in Katara's perspective because I wanted to show her emotion after almost losing Aang. The next chapter will focus more on Toph and Zuko. This chapter doesn't pick up straight after the previous one, it pretty much follows the same time frame as chapter 1 except in Zuko's perpective. I hope it isn't too hard to follow.**

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**Zuko**

_Recap:_

_Toph and Katara were shoved into the cell just as the other prisoner looked up. Furious ice blue eyes meet gold eyes filled with guilt._

'_You,' Katara gasped. 'What are you doing here?'_

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Zuko, Azula, Ty Lee, Mai and the Dai Li all stood were all in the throne room of Ba Sing Se. Azula sat in the Earth King's throne, two Dai Li agents stood against the wall on either side of the throne, they were Azula's handpicked bodyguards. Zuko stood on Azula's left, while Mai and Ty Lee stood on her right. The rest of the Dai Li knelt on the ground in front of the throne.

'What's wrong Brother.' Azula asked in a false concerned tone. Zuko hadn't noticed this tone before.

'I betrayed Uncle.' He'd replied.

'No, Uncle betrayed you.' Turning to the rest of the room Azula announced:

'You are dismissed; I wish to speak to my brother alone. Except for you two.' She gestured at her bodyguards.

The Dai Li exited in formation, Ty Lee followed walking on her hands. Azula glared at Mai, who lingered at the doorway.

'I said you are dismissed!' she growled. Mai took one last glance at Zuko and left the throne room.

Zuko took a deep breath.

'What if Father doesn't restore my honour? I don't have the Avatar.'

'It doesn't matter,' Azula replied with a smirk. 'You're not going home.'

'What!' gasped Zuko.

'You heard me,' Azula replied coldly. 'You're not going home.'

'Why would Father want you back?' she continued. 'You're a disgrace to our nation. You're weak and pathetic. I'm going to tell Father you're a traitor and sided with your uncle. He'll never believe you over me.'

'But why?'

Azula smiled smugly.

'Haven't you figured it out already, Zuzu?' she said victoriously. 'With you out of the way, I'm next in line to the throne. Take him away!'

Before he could protest, Azula's two Dai Li bodyguards descended on him and shackled him with earth, before dragging him into the dungeons.

Later that night his dinner was brought to him, but he refused to eat it, instead he leant again the wooden wall of the cell and went to sleep.

When morning came Zuko was surprised to see a scroll with a letter wrapped around it lying next to his untouched meal, curiosity won over and he unwrapped the letter. It was from his uncle, it read:

'_I have escaped with some help, and instructed a messenger to deliver this to you. It is a scroll from the Dragon Bone Catacombs that I borrowed to peruse during your banishment. Read the secret history about the death of your Great Grandfather. Hopefully it'll give you something to think about when you are back at the Palace.'_

Zuko groaned, Azula had made it clear that he would never return to the Palace, but for his Uncle's sake he read the scroll anyway. The scroll was the journal of Fire Lord Sozin, recounting on his friendship with Avatar Roku.

Zuko was angry; the scroll had nothing to do with Sozin's death.

'This is not a secret history! It's a history that everyone knows!' he snapped, he was so angry that despite the cell being made out of wood, his hand burst into flame. He closed his eyes then opened them again, staring at the letter; the heat from the flame had caused a secret message to appear:

'_Your Great Grandfather from your Mother's side was Avatar Roku, his headpiece belongs to you, the Crown Prince, but I'm keeping it for now for safekeeping.'_

Zuko shook his head, it couldn't be true, could it? But then again Princess Ursa had been daid to come from a family of great firebenders. He felt dizzy, then realised he hadn't eaten in almost a day, reluctantly he reached for the food and took a bite. Instantly needles of pain stabbed through his body, it felt like every pathway of Chi was being blocked. _Azula, _he thought, _she ordered my food to be drugged. _He laughed bitterly, there was no point of drugging him, trying to burn his way out of the cell would be suicidal.

He sigh in defeat and sat at the back wall of the cell, even though he'd noticed the bars on the right side of the cell where weaker, there was no way he could escape. He'd betrayed Uncle Iroh, and even if Iroh didn't hate him, he'd think his nephew was at the Fire Palace, not in a dark cell under Ba Sing Se.

A few hours later, Zuko figured it was midday judging from the brightness of the light leading from the vent in the roof that was the only source of fresh air in the cell, he heard voices from down the corridor. He recognised one instantly as Azula's, but couldn't quite place the others. There was the sound of yelling, then sobbing, then footsteps leading to his cell. He looked up just as the new prisoners where shoved into the cell and realized with a start it was the Avatar's friends; the waterbender and the earthbender. The Water Tribe girl glared at him.

'You,' gasped Katara. 'What are you doing here?'

Katara tried to waterbend, before realizing that her pouch had been taken away. Zuko looked back down at his feet, he was sitting in the fetal position against the back wall of the cell.

'You're trying to fool me again, aren't you? Is Azula really stupid enough to think that I'll fall for it again? That I'd _trust _you again?' she yelled, fruitlessly attempting to waterbend again. When that failed she stormed up to him, hands curled into fists, ready to strike him, not caring if she was not by any flames he produced. Two words disarmed her.

'I'm sorry.' it was barely a whisper, but Katara and Toph both heard. Katara began to laugh. It was the laughter of a woman pushed half to madness by grief, stress and anger.

'I don't believe you! You're lying! You're not sorry; you're just planted here to get information out of us. Well it's no use! Aang is dead! He and my brother are both dead!'

Zuko stiffened.

'I'm sorry they're dead, and I'm not planted here. I'm as much stuck as you are, but I can help you, I think I know a way out, but I'll need help. Maybe I can make it to you by helping you escape.' He said softly.

'No,' snapped Katara, slapping Zuko. 'I'll never believe you, ever. Just give up. You can never make it up to me!' Zuko flinched and turned away, looking down again in shame.

Toph was tired of Katara's yelling, her head was pounding from lack of sleep and Katara raised voice didn't help, besides she'd felt that Zuko wasn't lying.

'Leave him alone, he's not lying. I can tell.'

'How can you know? Remember when Azula lied, you couldn't tell. He's probably just like his sister.'

'Because, no one can be that good at lying. No one can make their heart beat in the exact right way, to match false words. No one can feel that much despair without meaning it. True, I couldn't tell when Azula lied, but she was too perfect, she show absolutely no emotion when she lied. And who in their right mind would believe that she was a 400 foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings anyway?' Toph retorted. Zuko laughed.

'Did she really say that?' he asked

Both Toph and Katara ignored him, too busy glaring at each other. Katara couldn't think of a good comeback to Toph's statement.

'I still don't trust him.' She said simply.

'Well we're going to have to, if we want to escape this place. In case you haven't noticed, this place is made of wood.' She turned to Zuko.

'Why didn't you use firebending as defence before?'

'I can't,' he replied. 'I think Azula drugged my food. Besides, as you said, this place is made out of wood, if I firebended we'd all be burnt to death.'

Toph nodded at his point.

'So why are you in here?' Toph ignored Katara's huff as she asked this question.

Zuko's eyes darkened.

'I don't want to talk about it.' He said turning away from both Toph and Katara.

'If that doesn't prove we can't trust him, nothing will.' Katara said in a voice like ice.

'Just give him some time,' Toph snapped. 'It's probably got something to do with his crazy sister.'

'Whatever.' Katara said as she stormed into the corner furthest away from Zuko, muttering thoughts of vengeance under her breath.

Three tense minutes later Azula arrived, flanked by her two Dai Li agents. Zuko instantly sprang into a defensive stance.

'What do you want now?' he growled at his sister.

'Calm down, my dear brother,' Azula said nonchalantly. 'I just have some news for you'

_To be continued…_

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**Yes, I love writing cliffhanger endings. What do you think Azula's news is? Again, the first person to review gets a preview of the next chapter.**

**I am a huge procrastinator so reviews always help :)**


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